PROGRAM

As the first fully researched and impartial biography of Clementine Churchill in 40 years, Sonia Purnell’s new book reveals just how instrumental Clementine was in paving the way for the special relationship with America, and how Eleanor Roosevelt pushed her to take a more visibly public role, and helped Clementine to find her own public voice. Clementine allows us at last to understand the complex dynamic of an extraordinary marriage. Winston Churchill confided in Clementine as he did in no one else, and she spoke to him with a raw honesty and keen understanding of what was needed for his political survival. When he chose to ignore her it was generally to his detriment. They had one of the most exceptional partnerships of all time, though the marriage was not without its personal tolls to Clementine.

Sonia Purnell is a biographer and journalist who has worked at The Economist, The Telegraph, and Daily Mail. Her first book, Just Boris: A Tale of Blond Ambition, a candid and widely acclaimed portrait of London mayor Boris Johnson, was informed by her time working alongside him in Europe in the 1990s. She lives in London with her husband and two sons.

This program is co-sponsored by the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College and The Eleanor Roosevelt-Val-Kill Partnership.


Sonia Purnell, “Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill” | Posted on October 14th, 2015 | Book Discussions, Public Programs